Pa Alimamy Conteh, an elder residing at Bottom Oku, a seaside community in Wellington in the east of Freetown, has on Monday June 15, 2020 told Premier News that, the community needs pipe borne water, toilet facility and a health centre.
Conteh said that the lack of these basic amenities has made the lives of residents in the community unhealthy. He also mentioned that children who go out to fetch water are sometimes abused during the long time they spend out of their homes because of the scarcity of water.
Pa Conteh also mentioned that the scramble for water in Bottom Oku becomes more intense during the dry season as water level in the single well available in the community gradually drops, and eventually dries up. He also said that the water in the well becomes contaminated during the rainy season because it is not treated with water purification chemicals. He also said that in order to access pure water, “children usually cover very long distances, and that usually endangers their lives”.
The Elder also further stated that, there has been no toilet in the community for over 20 years now, and residents defecate in the open air of the slum, in the water and in the bushes. He explained, “Bottom Oku is a big community with over 9,000 people, but we don’t have any toilet facility. We are used to defecate in the open space together with our children which is a big disgrace to us, and sometimes our kids die in the water [seaside] when using it as toilet.” He said that such deaths have occurred in the community several times in the past.
He also explained that the community has been without a health centre for the past 40 years, and attributed loss of lives there in the past to that fact. He also informed this medium that long distance from Bottom Oku to the nearest hospital often cause pregnant women to give birth in vehicle on the way to the hospital, adding that some sick persons have died before even getting to the hospital.
The Elder mentioned that the Freetown City Council has promised to build a health centre in the community but has not done so.
He raised serious concern over the lack of any Corona preventive materials to give effect to government’s regulation to combat the coronavirus in the Country. “We don’t have veronica buckets, face masks, hand sanitizers and soap in this community. Other communities have been receiving supplies from the government and the Minister of Health and Sanitation. Here, we are not been considered by none of them,” he emphasized. “We have complained to the top stakeholders about this, but they are not paying attention to us,” he added.
By Ibrahim S. Bangura
18/6/2020. ISSUE NO.: 7848